In May 2025, on the occasion of his second anniversary, Governor Alex Otti told Abia State citizens to expect ‘multiple commissioning of projects within the next 30 days’.
At the time, many dismissed it as another ceremonial declaration. Yet one year later, that statement has blossomed into reality. From Abia North, to Abia South and Abia Central, the evidence is everywhere. What is unfolding is not just project commissioning, it is the redesign of governance culture itself.
As part of the activities marking that second anniversary, Otti convened an enlarged State Executive Council meeting with the leadership of the House of Assembly and signed 18 Executive Bills into law, bringing the total to 30 bills signed since 2023. This legislative discipline stresses his commitment to institutional reform. Otti also signed into law the Abia State 25-Year Development Plan (2025–2050), a holistic framework to guide the state’s growth for a generation
Looking at Otti’s third year, the achievements stand tall across every sector of governance.
Infrastructure: Beyond Port Harcourt Road, where President Bola Tinubu was represented by the the Minister of Works, Engr. Dave Umahi, commissioned the 6.7km dual carriageway alongside 13 other roads in Aba, several other strategic projects either commenced, continued, or reached completion. The Umuahia–Ikot Ekpene Road reconstruction opened a new economic corridor to Akwa Ibom. The Ariam–Usaka Ring Road brought relief to communities neglected for decades. The iconic Omenuko Bridge was flagged off, built, and commissioned in record time, reconnecting Arochukwu and surrounding towns.
Furthermore, Otti flagged off the Renewed Hope Housing Estate and the Civil Service Commission Pocket Layout Estate in Umuahia, giving families hope of decent homes. The Enyimba Radisson Blu Hotel was flagged off, signalling Aba’s rise as a commercial hub. Utilities were not left behind: the Aba Regional Water Scheme rehabilitation, the Integrated WASH programme, and solar installations for diagnostic centres are restoring basic services. And for the first time, the state signed into law the Mini-Grid Framework Regulation, making community electricity a reality and granted approval for a feasibility study on the Azumini Sea Port, a project that could transform Abia into a maritime hub.
Education: Free and compulsory education became a reality when over 5,000 teachers were recruited and officially resumed in September 2025. To meet rising enrollment, another 4,000 teachers are currently being recruited, bringing the total to more than 9,000. School enrolment has skyrocketed from 117,000 to over 300,000 pupils in one year.
At Abia State University, Otti commissioned a 5 MVA power station, three hostels, and flagged off landmark projects, including 5,000-bed hostels and new faculties. All First-Class graduates received automatic lecturing jobs and postgraduate scholarships, while ₦200 million in business grants was announced.
At Ogbonnaya Onu Polytechnic, a ₦100 million grant was awarded to 100 graduating students, along with technical training for 200 others. The Abia Leadership Academy, launched in 2025, trained over 1,000 students in batches grooming future leaders, he also approved a site for the Aba Study Centre of the National Open University, urging Nigerians to embrace digital education as the way forward. UNESCO itself commended his education policies, calling them a model for Nigeria.
Healthcare: Project Ekwueme moved beyond renovating Primary Health Centres, it recruited hundreds of health workers to staff them. The Abia State Health Workers Salary Scale gave doctors, nurses, and midwives the dignity long denied them.
Hospitals in Umuahia, Aba, and Ohafia are being upgraded into modern referral centres, with Otti targeting JCI certification for Abia State University Teaching Hospital (ABSUTH) and two other specialist hospitals. Not only that, the state topped the Southeast in the Nigeria Governors Forum Primary Healthcare Challenge, winning $500,000, which earned commendation from the World Bank.
Governance and Civil Service: Civil servants now work with laptops, smartphones, and Wi-Fi devices through the MTN Device Ownership Scheme. Ministries are connected to high-speed internet under the WAN project, digitising governance. For the first time in decades, salaries and pensions are paid promptly every month. Otti even approved the payment of 10 years’ pension arrears owed to retires of the Agricultural Development Programmes from 2000 to 2010. Permanent secretaries received 28 brand new Geely Emgrand cars, restoring dignity to the civil service.
Transportation: Abia became the first state in Nigeria to roll out 20 electric buses as part of the Green Shuttle Service, plus an additional 30 recently added, making it 50. The pilot phase was free for three months, and fares remain subsidised. The Umuahia Ultra-Modern Bus Terminal, commissioned and named after Prof. Nnenna Oti, offers Abians a taste of modern transport infrastructure.
Utilities and Power: Otti restored electricity to 33 communities in Ukwa West after a nine-year blackout. He also signed the Abia State Electricity Regulatory Authority law, creating the state’s own electricity regulatory agency.
Partnerships: Unlike past governments that travelled endlessly seeking partnerships, Otti’s visible progress has turned the state into a magnet for investors and development partners. In one week, two foreign countries visited Abia on the same day. These partnerships are not promises; they are signed MoUs and projects already underway, proving that the state’s progress is attracting the world.
Security: Security is a top priority. Through the launch of the Abia Security Trust Fund over ₦3.4 billion was raised to strengthen policing and surveillance. Communities once plagued by crime now enjoy peace, making Abia one of the safest states to live and invest in.
No wonder American gospel minister Cindy Jacobs declared that God has positioned Otti to be a model in leadership. At a National Thanksgiving Service in Abuja, Her words echoed what Abians already see: a leader chosen to rebuild and inspire.
This government also does not wait for funerals to honour its citizens. From civil servants to community leaders, Otti has shown that the state will celebrate its people while they are alive. The latest was the grand celebration of the Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Alfred Achebe, proving that Abia honours greatness in real time.
Like Jephthah in the Bible, whose people came back to beg him to rule them, Otti’s leadership has drawn endorsements from across Nigeria. He has been hosted and celebrated in grand civic receptions by Ukwa La Ngwa (who donated ₦100 million for his 2027 nomination form), Abiriba, Umuahia/Ikwuano, Isiukwuato, and other communities. Professional bodies, traditional rulers, and diaspora groups have all endorsed him.
However, Otti’s third year has proven that governance can be real, visible, and people-centred. The state is no longer waiting for miracles it is writing its own destiny. And as he declared at his country home in Nvosi, Isiala Ngwa South, during a 10,000-man solidarity march in April 2026: ‘We are seeking second term because we have unfinished work to do. If I had finished the work I came to do, I wouldn’t be seeking a second term’.
And true to his word, the work continues. During the third anniversary celebrations, the governor commissioned more than 25 completed road projects across Abia, including Onuimo–Tower Road, Abiriba–Ohafia Road, Nunya–Isuikwuato Road, and Umuafai–Lodu–Ahiaeke–Okwuta Road. He also delivered new healthcare facilities with the commissioning of Obingwa General Hospital, Phase One of Arochukwu General Hospital, and 15 newly equipped Primary Health Centres. In addition, he flagged off the rehabilitation of the Ubakala and Ariaria Water Schemes worth ₦1.3 billion, and the reconstruction of the Umunnato General Hospital abandoned for over 40 years into a modern 100-bed Specialist Hospital. These projects, delivered during the anniversary week, are proof that the journey is
ongoing.
The road ahead is about consolidating these gains, completing the transformation, and ensuring that every Abian feels the impact of governance in their daily lives. As 2027 approaches, the call is clear: to give continuity to a vision already changing the state, and to allow Otti to finish the work he has begun.
